A federal appeals court has upheld Bonneville International Corp.’s decision to fire former Sacramento Kings announcer Grant Napear over a 2020 social-media post in which he wrote “All Lives Matter.”

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s decision granting summary judgment to Bonneville and dismissing Napear’s claims against the company. The ruling was issued September 3 by a three-judge panel in San Francisco.

The case stemmed from a May 31, 2020 exchange between Napear and former Kings player DeMarcus Cousins. After Cousins asked Napear for his thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement, Napear responded from his @GrantNapearshow account with a message that included the phrase “ALL LIVES MATTER … EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!”

Bonneville placed Napear on administrative leave the following day and terminated him on June 2, 2020. Napear later sued, arguing that his social-media post was protected political expression and that his termination violated California law.

The appeals court disagreed, pointing to Napear’s status as a public figure and the terms of his employment agreement. The court noted that Bonneville’s social-media policy required public-figure employees to maintain a “high standard of care and level of responsibility” because their personal social-media activity could affect the company’s public image and reputation.

The panel concluded that Napear’s use of the @GrantNapearshow account to respond to a question about Black Lives Matter involved his professional persona. As a result, the court determined that California Labor Code provisions protecting employees’ political activity did not protect the statement in this case.

Napear had spent 31 years with the Kings organization before his 2020 firing. His attorney has indicated that Napear may seek further review of the case, potentially including a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Ninth Circuit’s decision leaves the lower court’s judgment in Bonneville’s favor in place.